Chapter 301: Zhou Hui-min

Today, Zhou Hui-min was distracted in class because she saw a news item in a student-run tabloid: last night, "Heroes Rise in Youth" held a fan meetup, with Liu Jialiang in attendance to congratulate them, and the article also mentioned screenwriter Wei Ming was there.

A-min was furious with herself for missing this rare opportunity—wouldn't he return to the mainland soon?

In this conflicted state of mind, Zhou Hui-min was called to join a basketball game after school—and even got playing time.

But because her mind was elsewhere, her performance was poor; she dropped the ball several times. The coach gave her the ball and told her to practice hard after class, or next time she'd be relegated to the cheerleading squad.

So Zhou Hui-min dribbled the ball from school to the shop, where dusk was falling; just as a child ran past her, she lost her grip—the ball bounced away, rolling and bouncing straight toward her family's fast-food restaurant.

At that moment, a tall man picked up the basketball and spun it Xuanyaoban on his finger. Pathetic.

But when the man turned his head, Zhou Hui-min's eyes widened in shock.

A-ming!

Though she'd only seen his photo, and though he was even more handsome in person, Zhou Hui-min was certain—it was him.

And his ball-spinning move just now? So cool.

Wei Ming was even more surprised: Holy shit, Zhou Hui-min!

It must be her—wearing a basketball uniform, showing off long legs; though not yet at her peak, at sixteen she'd already begun to mature, standing nearly one meter seventy, still a bit baby-faced, more cute than beautiful, not stunning but pleasing to the eye.

Hong Kong wasn't huge, but it wasn't small either—how could he possibly bump into Zhou Hui-min in her youth? Just days ago he'd seen the Ni family—what fate! Was he about to unlock the "Train the Hong Kong Scene" side quest?

Xia Yu-fang, Xian Zhen, Min Xin—just thinking about it made his waist ache.

"Here, your ball," Wei Ming handed it over.

Zhou Hui-min reached out to catch it, but she was dazed and missed—this was a slightly sloped road; the ball bounced and rolled downhill. Both Zhou Hui-min and Wei Ming lunged for it simultaneously, collided, and lost their chance—the basketball rolled farther and farther down the road.

Wei Ming didn't bother comforting Zhou Hui-min, whose forehead had been bruised by his chest—he sprinted after the ball, and A-min followed right behind.

As they chased the ball, Wei Ming suddenly realized something.

A-min? Zhou Hui-min?

These two had a lot in common!

A-min once said she was a posthumous child.

He knew Zhou Hui-min's father had died before she was born.

A-min also said her mother had her at an advanced age.

Wei Ming knew Zhou Hui-min's mother had given birth to her late in life.

A-min said she loved singing, drawing, and played basketball for her middle school team.

And here was Zhou Hui-min, holding a basketball!

And both their names contained the character "Min." Zhou Hui-min was near Holi Lai—why hadn't he asked A-min her English name earlier?

After they walked away, Old Ghost peeked out the door again—the kid was gone, the girl hadn't arrived yet—what a waste of time!

"Here."

"Oh, thanks."

When Wei Ming handed the ball to her a second time, he waited until he was certain she'd caught it before letting go.

Zhou Hui-min was about to reveal her identity and embrace A-ming in a pure pen-pal hug—but Wei Ming couldn't wait.

He asked tentatively: "You're a student from around here, right?"

"Huh? Yeah." She nodded obediently.

"Then you probably go to that Holi Lai fast-food place often."

"Of course—that place is amazing!" Zhou Hui-min never missed a chance to advertise her family's shop.

Wei Ming: "Have you met the boss's daughter there?"

A-min's heart raced; she blinked rapidly and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear—A-ming is secretly asking about me!

Wei Ming noticed all her little gestures—and became even more certain he'd guessed right.

"Yeah, I've met her. Do you know her?"

"Yes, we're friends who've never met," Wei Ming said. "So before meeting, I wanted to learn a little about her."

"What do you want to know?" Zhou Hui-min asked. "If she's not pretty, will you refuse to meet her?"

"You misunderstand—we're not like that. I don't care what she looks like. Even if she's as pretty as you, she's still just a child."

Hearing the compliment, Zhou Hui-min secretly rejoiced—but then bristled: Who's a child? I'm fourteen! I'm already in second-year middle school—some of my classmates are already dating!

Wei Ming continued: "I promised to give her a gift, one that requires inspiration. But lately I've had none I'm satisfied with, so I thought maybe I could learn about her indirectly—perhaps that would spark an idea."

Zhou Hui-min immediately thought of the gift A-ming had promised her—a song. So he hadn't written it yet. But she didn't really care about the gift—why force herself?

"If you can't prepare the gift, will you just not meet her?" Zhou Hui-min asked, a little downcast.

"I just feel guilty. She's helped me so much—I want to give her the best gift possible. So even though I've been in Hong Kong for a while, I keep delaying."

Zhou Hui-min suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn't come to find her all this time—he wasn't ignoring her, she'd misunderstood!

"Then why did you finally come today?" Zhou Hui-min gently spun her ball.

Wei Ming: "I was busy with work the other days—I could make excuses. But today I'm free. Still, I ate eight snacks and didn't see her."

"You ate that much!" Zhou Hui-min's eyes crinkled with laughter.

"It's delicious."

"Too bad—if you'd eaten nine, you'd have met her." Before Wei Ming could react, Zhou Hui-min grabbed the ball and extended her other hand. "Let's properly meet—I'm A-min, Zhou Hui-min."

It's the same person!

My pen pal is the Queen of the Jade Maidens!

After a moment of shock, Wei Ming smiled and extended his right hand: "Nice to meet you, A-ming, Wei Ming."

They held hands for a long time, staring at each other. A-min grew shy first—she remembered how A-ming had just praised her beauty.

"You don't have to worry about the song," A-min said, still not letting go. "I'm not a singer, and I'm not in a hurry."

Wei Ming didn't let go either—but A-min's hand, which had been dribbling the ball, was a bit dirty. He replied: "No, I can't break my word. Now that we've met, I'll walk you home. Let me think carefully during that time."

Zhou Hui-min wasn't in a rush to go home. She thought for a moment. "After eating so much, want to get some exercise? I know there's a basketball court up ahead."

"Sure."

Zhou Hui-min switched from gripping to holding his hand. Wei Ming let the girl lead him forward—he felt nothing odd about it. Though this was their first meeting, they'd been writing for a year and a half—they were no longer strangers.

This court had once been popular with Hong Kong University students, but after the school built an indoor court, fewer came. As dusk deepened, only the two of them remained on the aging court.

"Sorry I made you wait so long. I usually come to the shop after school, but today I had a basketball game—I came straight here after."

"How'd you play?"

Zhou Hui-min stuck out her tongue. "We lost. The coach made me practice more after school."

"Then I'll be your practice partner today."

"You play basketball too?" Zhou Hui-min watched Wei Ming stretch.

Wei Ming: "I often play with Peking University's basketball team. Just a little."

Most boys' "a little" in basketball crushed most girls' skills. Among Hong Kong and Taiwan actresses, Wei Ming thought he might be slightly worse than Wang Zu-xian.

Zhou Hui-min began dribbling toward the basket. Wei Ming crouched in front of her—his defense left her no room to maneuver. His height, build, and skill were all on another level.

In his later years, Wei Ming still maintained fitness—table tennis was his strongest, but he was also skilled at badminton, tennis, basketball, bowling, and pool—he was a master of all ball sports.

He didn't hold back. He quickly stole the ball from her and drove past her straight toward the opponent's hoop.

"Don't do intense exercise right after eating," A-min warned kindly—but didn't stop defending.

You little brat, interfering, huh?

But Wei Ming had already raised his arms for a victory pose—the ball bounced off the backboard and flew out.

A-min laughed. Wei Ming saved face: "I haven't played in ages—my aim's off. One more time."

Basketball is a contact sport—physical contact is inevitable. But since A-min was still young, her body hadn't fully developed, so there was little awkwardness between them.

Girls grow taller before they fill out.

"You shoot so accurately!"

After ten minutes of warming up, Wei Ming's scoring improved. A-min immediately clung to him, begging him to teach her—like a devoted fangirl.

Wei Ming: "I'm a bit thirsty."

"I'll get water." A-min skipped over to an old man selling sugary drinks nearby, and soon returned with two plastic cups. "Drink this—it's very refreshing."

Wei Ming glanced at their drinks—one was red bean, the other green bean.

A-min sipped her red bean, then looked at Wei Ming's green bean.

"Can I try yours?"

Wei Ming handed it over. A-min handed him hers. They exchanged sips.

For her first meeting with her pen pal, A-min felt zero suspicion or hesitation.

Wei Ming tasted: "Your red bean tastes better."

"Hehe, I think so too—but green bean cools you down better." They sat beside the court. A-min swung her pale legs, gazing up—the sun had nearly vanished.

During the break, they could talk about other things.

"Did you meet Ghost Uncle at the shop?" A-min asked.

"Yeah, I saw him a few days ago at Lai Yuen."

A-min: "You must be relatives. What relation?"

Wei Ming: "You really want to know? It's a family secret—never told outside."

Hearing that, A-min wanted to know even more.

"If it's too private, forget it." But A-min didn't press—she changed the subject. "Did you get the letter I wrote you when you came to Hong Kong?"

"When did you write it?"

"Early June."

"No, what did you write?"

Zhou Hui: "Nothing special—I recently watched your film 'The Herdsman' and thought it was excellent. Some of the plot I didn't fully understand, but the acting and scenery were great. This is basically my review. I also sent you some magazines about film and fashion." "I'll definitely read your letter carefully when I get back."

"Actually, the other day I also watched the screenplay you wrote for 'Heroes Among the Young'—it was fantastic too. Many boys in our class have seen it already."

Wei Ming: "Thank you for your praise, Amin, but I'm not just the screenwriter."

"Huh? Did you act in it? No way—I'm sure I didn't see you, unless you were a non-speaking extra."

Wei Ming smiled and asked: "Who wrote the original novel for this movie?"

"Wei Kuangren."

Wei Ming smiled and pointed to himself.

"Ah, you—you—you!" Amin exclaimed in delight. "'The Great Battle of the Terracotta Warriors' was written by you? I loved that novel so much!"

"Wei Kuangren is my pen name for popular fiction," Wei Ming admitted.

"Did you publish through Guibai?" Zhou Hui asked, thinking of something.

Wei Ming nodded.

"Is it because he doesn't take a cut that you chose him?" Zhou Hui said, pouting. "I could have skipped my cut too."

"Cut?" Wei Ming laughed. "He held back all my royalties. But we're blood relatives, so I didn't want to keep bothering you—I went to him instead."

"It's fine—you can bother me anytime. 'The Great Battle of the Terracotta Warriors' is the best romance novel I've read recently," Zhou Hui said sincerely. The time-traveling, three-lifetimes love story was perfect for young girls.

Wei Ming smiled: "Alright, next time I publish under Wei Kuangren in Hong Kong, I'll send you the first copy."

"Mm-hmm," Zhou Hui sighed. "Wei Ming, the literary writer; Wei Kuangren, the popular fiction writer; Wei—who-knows-what, the children's author; Ah Ming, the songwriter in Hong Kong; Mr. Why, the writer publishing overseas… You don't have any other hidden identities, do you?"

Wei Ming thought for a moment: "Nope, these identities are enough."

Zhou Hui wanted to dig deeper into the global hit 'Moonlight Shadow'—how astonishing that a Chinese person had composed such a song. But Hong Kong media were all buzzing about it, unaware it was written by Ah Ming, a Chinese man.

But by now, their sugary drinks were finished. Wei Ming stood up and dribbled the ball: "Come on, I'll teach you how to shoot. It's getting dark—we should head home soon."

There were streetlights here, but as a middle schooler, Wei Ming didn't dare let her go home too late—he feared her family would worry.

"Oh," Zhou Hui stood up. "Teach me well—my coach said if I perform badly next time, I'll be punished by becoming a cheerleader."

Wei Ming glanced at her long legs. You'd be wasted as a cheerleader.

Teaching her the shot up close gave them more intimate contact. Wei Ming felt nothing, but Amin, feeling his hands adjusting her posture from behind, grew flustered—and her shooting accuracy dropped.

This made Wei Ming doubt himself: Did I teach that badly?

"Maybe I'm just tired from all the exercise today," Amin offered an excuse.

Wei Ming shook his head. "Haven't you eaten yet?"

"Oh right!" Zhou Hui remembered—she'd planned to eat at the shop.

Wei Ming suggested: "Shall we go to Holiland for something?"

Zhou Hui refused—she didn't want Guibai or her mother watching her date with Ah Ming.

"There are street snacks on the way home. Let's eat there."

"Alright." Wei Ming picked up her ball and they set off home.

This was a hilly area—they walked along mountain paths—but public facilities were well-built, so they felt no fear. Fireflies even glowed along the way.

Wei Ming's hometown had none of these, so he found them fascinating. Unfortunately, his camera couldn't capture them well at night.

Amin noticed the camera in his bag. She should've asked him to take a photo before dark—he had no pictures of himself, and she only had one black-and-white one-inch photo of him.

"When are you leaving, Ah Ming?" Amin asked.

"This weekend," Wei Ming said.

"Ah!" Amin hadn't realized they had only a few days left—too short!

"You have to finish writing that song for me before you go," she suddenly said.

Wei Ming was puzzled. Didn't you say you weren't in a hurry before?

Amin added: "To help you find inspiration, tomorrow I'll be your guide and show you around Hong Kong."

Wei Ming asked: "Aren't you supposed to be in class tomorrow?"

"I'll just take a sick day. I'll catch up on lessons after you leave," Zhou Hui said, rubbing her palms.

Wei Ming wanted to lecture her about prioritizing studies—but then he remembered: even the most obedient fourteen-year-old girl probably wouldn't listen to such clichés. She was at the age of rebellion.

Fine. He could still nudge her toward studying during playtime. So he nodded in agreement.

Amin jumped three feet in the air: "Ah Ming, can you reach that leaf?"

"Is there a reward if I do?"

"Then you're impressive."

Wei Ming leapt up sharply.

…

Yanjing.

Zhu Lin rode her bicycle, with Gong Ying on the back.

Gong Ying nervously said: "Ling-jie, maybe we shouldn't do this."

"What's there to fear? You have the key—we're not thieves. What's wrong with going over to play table tennis? Who knows what Xiao Wei is up to in Hong Kong?" Zhu Lin said carelessly.

Gong Ying: "Don't say that. Xiao Wei isn't that kind of person."

Gong Ying, having just returned to Beiyingchang after recuperating in her hometown in the Magic Capital, immediately notified Zhu Lin—not Gong Ying.

Zhu Lin first took Gong Ying out for dinner, then suggested they do some post-meal exercise—play table tennis. She and Xiao Wei had played indoor table tennis in that sihe courtyard before—the facilities were excellent.

When they arrived, confirmed the lock was on the outside, Zhu Lin said: "See? No one's here. We'll play a bit and leave. At this hour, we've got nowhere else to go."

Gong Ying unlocked the door, silently grumbling: Must it really be table tennis? Is Ling-jie trying to beat me senseless because she thinks I'm frail?

Hmph, you underestimate me. I may not be a queen, but I've got plenty of strength.

As soon as the door opened, they heard Yin Xing the dog barking. When they stepped inside, seeing both mistresses arrive together, Yin Xing danced around them joyfully. Even the rarely seen Chief of Police poked his head out of his kennel, tilting it curiously at this unbelievable scene.

Gong Ying quickly locked the door behind them. Zhu Lin opened the table tennis room and turned on the lights.

"Look—competition-grade table, rackets, balls—everything's here. We can play and chat."

Once they started, Zhu Lin attacked fiercely. Gong Ying thought she must be sexually repressed.

After Zhu Lin had expended some energy, she finally began talking: "My film 'Joyful Family' is about to be released."

"Ping! Pang!"

Gong Ying: "So soon? I just finished filming."

"The director prepared thoroughly, so everything moves fast."

Gong Ying: "Then it'll probably come out around the same time as Xiao Wei's 'Heroes Among the Young.'"

"Huh?"

Gong Ying: "I heard at Beiyingchang that the film has done extremely well in Hong Kong—so well that they sent a congratulatory report. Director Wang is planning to release it next month."

Zhu Lin slammed a smash: "We're a low-budget rural drama. We can't compete with their high-budget martial arts film. Let it be simultaneous."

She missed the smash. The room was large; Gong Ying chased the ball all over.

Zhu Lin laughed: "Missed it? Don't worry. This basket's full of balls. We'll pick them up after we're done."

But Gong Ying was frugal: "Use one ball until it's worn out. Otherwise, we'll just be using secondhand ones."

Zhu Lin sighed: "When will your film be released?"

"I don't know if it'll make it before the New Year," Gong Ying said. "I asked Director Wang Haowei—he's still editing."

Zhu Lin: "It'd be best if it came out before the New Year. Then we could compete for the Hundred Flowers Award."

Gong Ying smiled: "You're so confident in your film? Mine was written by Xiao Wei."

Zhu Lin scored a point, chin raised: "What? You think I'm arrogant? Our film isn't bad either. Xiao Wei himself praised it."

"Then I'll go see it the moment it comes out," Gong Ying served the ball.

They played with windows closed—otherwise the balls would fly out and cause trouble. Soon, the two beautiful women were drenched in sweat.

Since they wore little, their clothes clung to their bodies, revealing their mature feminine curves. Whoever had smaller breasts felt embarrassed.

Gong Ying threw down her racket first: "No more. I'm sweating too much—it's uncomfortable."

Zhu Lin smiled: "Then let's just shower here before we leave."

"Ah? That's not right."

"Why not? Haven't you showered here before?" Zhu Lin pushed Gong Ying out of the table tennis room. "You go first or me?"

Gong Ying scratched her head: "You go first."

"Then find me some dry clothes to change into. Even if it's something you've worn before, it's fine."

Gong Ying: "…"

After Gong Ying finished showering, she saw Zhu Lin wearing one of her own clothes, already lying on the big red bed.

Zhu Lin panted: "I did some yoga. Just resting a bit before we leave."

Gong Ying had a feeling—they wouldn't be leaving tonight.

She lay beside Zhu Lin. After all, they weren't sleeping together for the first time.

Seeing Zhu Lin so casual, Gong Ying asked: "Did you two… do it here before?"

"This isn't the first place. We started on the table tennis table," Zhu Lin said without hesitation.

Gong Ying: So infuriating! No wonder she insisted on table tennis—she was waiting for me all along! Hmph, I shouldn't have come!

(Three female leads, plus supporting actresses—why aren't there any bonus chapters with photos? There's money to be made, and it all ends up in Lao Fo's pocket~)

(End of Chapter)